When Our Culture Betrays Us (My Take on The Adrian Peterson Saga) ...originally posted 10/6/14.

  For the first 20 years of my life, I was very accustomed to seeing some sort of grease can around most of the kitchens I entered. Those cans are where the flavoring I loved, as a child, originated. While Crisco was a great start for deep frying almost anything, all the best cooks kept the meat-flavored, leftover grease for later use. There was pork, beef, and chicken flavored grease available to spice up any recipe. Often, when I tasted cabbage, or greens, or some other incredibly flavorful dish, the flavoring was from pork or beef cooked weeks prior. Then, without warning, word came from on high : FRIED FOODS ARE UNHEALTHY. It seemed that suddenly we had all discovered that Crisco was not the godsend we had once thought it to be. In fact, it may have been building up inside our bodies and causing problems ranging from heart disease to high blood pressure to diabetes. Slowly, over the coming years, the grease cans would become less and less prevalent. "Soul Food", as it had come to be called, would become something to be had on rare occasions, rather than in the daily doses of my childhood. Crisco was replaced by vegetable oils, of varying types, and the healthiness of food became more of a concern than flavor. Before long, even the healthiness of cooking with butter was being questioned. What would be next, some crazy suggestion that second-hand cigarette smoke might be deadly or that too much exposure to the sun could cause cancer? Funny how times change.

  In many of the same homes where I saw those grease cans, including my own, there was another practice that has just recently become a major concern: "corporal punishment". Over the last few weeks, I have heard countless discussions of Adrian Peterson, his method of disciplining his young children, and where that method fits along the spectrum from spanking to child abuse. Let me clearly state here, my commentary is not as much about Adrian Peterson himself, as the millions of Adrian Peterson's out there, who are not part of the National Football League (NFL). Despite the national outcry, in complete opposition to "corporal punishment", in some circles, it is a way of life. In fact, I did a little research on attitudes regarding "corporal punishment" and confirmed my own suspicions. There are some vast differences of opinion on "corporal punishment" within our country and social scientist have taken the time to study those differences. A few of the differences are: 1) Religious people support "corporal punishment" more than non-religious people. 2) Southerners support it more than Northerners. 3) Blacks (which is a time-honored name for people who are often brown and yellow) support it more than whites. For those of you with math minds, if you have already made note of the fact that a person who is religious, southern, and black has the highest propensity to support "corporal punishment"...BINGO!

  Just like "Soul Food", the tradition of whipping (or whooping, as I often heard it called as a kid) has had tremendous staying power. Strangely, when I looked to my dictionary to find the derivation of the word "whooping", it did not provide the clarification for which I had hoped. "Whoop" can refer to shouting or calling vigorously. Whereas, "whipping" refers to the unmistakably cruel punishment that has survived from biblical times until today. As a child, I am certain that I experienced some "whippings" (of course, not by an actual whip) that caused me to do a little "whooping". While it is very easy to look at a single person, Adrian Peterson in this case, and assume that he is simply ignorant and irrational when it comes to discipline. The real explanation for his actions might lie somewhere in his history, which I might add, is probably not too far from my own. For many, like myself, we are only one generation removed from a thought process that reasoned physically punishing young children (out of love), might save them from being physically punished later by people much less concerned with their well-being. Irrational thoughts? Maybe. But those fears are fed daily in newcast across our country, which too often depict young men of color as the subjects of violence. Sometimes traditions, born out of desperation and fear, are stubbornly persistent.

  Rare is the time that we (humans) pause to look critically at ourselves, our history, and the legacy we have created. Whether we, as Americans, want to admit it or not, the lingering history of over-zealous punishment, even abuse, is one that has been passed down. Words like whipping and whooping refer to a specific type of punishment, a type that we now formally call "corporal". Since we are so quick to associate the south and slavery with "whipping", we add a dimension that makes the subject very difficult to honestly discuss. Our "whipping" tradition however, runs a little deeper. If one were to Google "flagellation", Wikipedia would explain in infinite detail how both our prisons and our military have used this form of punishment for centuries. While it is not as common in western civilization today, we are not as far removed as we might like to imagine. Literal "whipping" is still seen in some former British colonies and the far east to this day. I was particularly amazed by the names in Wikipedia: belting, birching, spanking, caning, and switching. I think the unpdated versions might include: house-shoeing, extension cording and hot-wheel tracking to name a few modern adaptations.

  While it might seem that I am making light of the pain I am certain Adrian Peterson's four year old suffered, I am not. On the other hand, I cannot help but laugh at the thought of my parent's, grandparent's, aunts, and uncles as "child abusers". If my grandparents were here today, after I gave them the biggest hug I could muster, through tear-filled kisses, I would tell them how much I have missed them. Then, I would talk at length about how much the world has changed in the twenty something years they have been gone. Then, I would get right to work on this child abuse thing. I would let them know, in no uncertain terms, that regardless of their intentions, sending us out to pick "switches" from trees and then using those "switches" on us was child abuse. Furthermore, teaching our parents to do the same, and encouraging them to use varying methods for better results was organized crime and they were the leaders of that crime ring. After a good scolding, I would let them know again that I love them and miss them, then I would turn them over to the proper authorities. Although, I am not certain who those authorities might be. From my reading, parents across the country have a great deal of latitude in disciplining their own children, unless (of course) they happen to be in the NFL.

  The only thing I can say with certainty is that as a child, the word "whooping" was solidly worked into my vocabulary, and my life experience. I never questioned it's derivation, as a word, nor the logic of it's practice. It wouldn't have mattered if I did. I, like most of my relatives, found my way to various trees and picked many "switches" (though some would argue not nearly enough). I know, first hand, what it means to sit in a room, with my siblings, comparing the marks left behind by "switches". I know those "switches" often broke our skin. I have to admit that knowing my own history, I was a little surprised to see that in recent studies, "blacks" (read also as brown, if you are partial to the common sense applied by Crayola) show the highest approval of "corporal punishment", higher than any other ethnic group. That is the very definition of tradition: repeating the practices of our parents and/or grandparents, without questioning the logic or efficacy. Does anyone still eat fried chicken or even fry their Thanksgiving turkey? On a related note, does anyone call things "black", when they are clearly brown (or do we only do that with people). Tradition?

 In the interest of full disclosure, I did attend the same university as Adrian Peterson. That being said, I have followed his career and take a little pride in having seen him do well in the National Football League. However, there is a much more important issue here that draws my attention and begs for my comment. For some in this discussion (like me), the stakes are far too high. Any day, I can turn on my television to see the story of a "young, brown man" who was beaten or killed. The level of violence that we, as a society condone, is incredibly high. Yet, somewhere there is a magical line between the innocent four year old child (that many would vocally defend) and the 14 - 20 year old young men, who no one defends, accept the very parent that we dare lecture about "proper whooping techniques".

  As for me, I am on record as choosing Adrian Peterson (and his chosen method of discipline). I am also on the record as thanking my parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles for my upbringing. They did the best they could with what they had. Remember, we did not always have cell phones and video games to take away from our 1st graders. No, my parent's and grandparent's ideas about discipline were not  perfect, but it was not for lack of love, and I would not trade it. It was not uncontrolled rage, demonstrated by a clinched fist or wanton violence. There was a family structure, complete with authority figures, rules, and punishments. Although there were times when things probably went further than any of my relatives intended, I cannot imagine a scenario where OUR society could have offered sound moral advice.

 I hope that I have learned different ways by which to impart life lessons to my two sons. However, I will wait to see the finished product, before I render a final verdict. For the record, I make no bones about the fact that I will choose, even the most incompetent parent (and maybe that includes Adrian Peterson), attempting to discipline their own child, over multiple policeman with nightsticks, tasers, and guns, a decade later. My hypocrisy and sanctimonious ire cannot be raised over broken skin (even on a four year old), when broken bones and lives lost have become inconvenient background noise.